Youth in the Digital and AI Era: Connection, Participation, and the Future of Work

This course explores what it means to grow up in an AI-driven and highly connected society, examining how algorithms, online platforms and digital technologies influence social relationships, wellbeing, identity and opportunities for participation.

About the course

Across three weeks, learners will discover the relationship between young people and the digital world, including how online and offline experiences increasingly overlap. Moreover, it examines digital inclusion and inequalities, online visibility and participation, and the ways digital platforms can influence who is heard, included or excluded. 

Learners will also consider how AI and automation are transforming education, employment and future opportunities, while exploring the emerging skills and ethical questions associated with these developments.

Course Structure

• Week 1: Youth in the Digital Age- Learners will explore what it means to grow up in the digital age, including how digital technologies shape young people’s experiences, online interactions, communities and wellbeing.
• Week 2: Youth Civic Participation in the Digital Age- In the next part, they will dive deep in how digital technologies have transformed civic participation and online activism, including new opportunities for engagement, challenges to democratic participation, and the effectiveness of digital activism.
• Week 3: Youth and the Future of Work in the AI Age- Finally, learners will discover how technology and AI are transforming youth employment, labour markets and the future of work, while considering how young people can respond to ongoing technological change.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course, learners will be able to:

• Evaluate youth policy approaches in response to digital and AI-driven transformations.
• Apply research evidence, theoretical frameworks and conceptual tools to critically reflect on the social impacts of digital technologies and AI.
• Compare how youth, policy and digital governance are understood and organised across different cultural and national contexts.
• Identify how technologies, including AI, digital platforms and data-driven systems, shape young people’s experiences, wellbeing, social participation and civic engagement.

Who is the course for?

This course is created for anyone interested in AI, youth experiences, and digital society.